Diet soda addiction

[brookegoeden]

Hello,

I have been doing the raw food diet on and off. However, I have yet to kick the diet soda habit (which means I am not 100% raw, I know). Will the benefits of raw food increase if I can kick the diet soda?? Just so you know, I am drinking 3-6 cans a DAY!!..needs to go! :eek:

[sport]

I dont know what everybody thinks but I think that diet soda is one of the worst things that you can take. If you have to have soda then drink the regular but better still why not drink carbonated water. It is good for your calcium intake and pellegrino is best. Try and change that habit please.

[brookegoeden]

That is the motivation I need to hear..thank you.. No soda today!

[Sharon in Colorado]

The problem with diet soda is that it is so processed & high in acid, and with the artificial sweetener, your body treats it as a toxin. So it is working so much harder to assimilate it and evacuate it, which lessens the energy your body has to heal other problems going on. If that is the only thing holding you back from being all raw, I'd say ditch it.

[Revvell]

It's not the diet soda you are addicted to. It's the aspartame in it. Many are addicted to chewing gum and now, many other things which contain aspartame. Aspartame is seriously dangerous. One of my former co-workers drank it and had bouts of blindness. One of my clients drank it (her husband brought her to me AFTER) and had a stroke ~ at 43. Her mother who was into a healthier lifestyle told me there was nothing else in her food program which could have caused it. Here's more: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/aspartame.htm

:cool:

[Kristyn]

What about splenda is that as bad too?


Kristyn

[Revvell]

Yanno? Y'all can google as easily as I can. (puts smiley face so no one offends themselves) :)

http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm


:cool:

[Sharon in Colorado]

Several years ago, I had a friend who had really bad headaches. I asked her about her diet and it was fairly good for a cooked eater, except she used aspratame in her iced tea. I suggested that the asparatame could be causing it and a while later she told me that her headaches went away after she stopped using it.

I've also read an article about airplane pilots prohibited from the use of asparatame while in flight. This was years & years ago, and don't know if it's still in effect, but it had something to do with the altitude mixed with the asparatame. You might want to try googling it.

Kristyn if you have to use a sweetener, I'd suggest raw agave nectar, rapadura (sp?), honey, raw sugar, or something like that. Splenda is some kind of bi-product, and it's really not natural at all, as much as the advertisers claim it to be.

[Revvell]

You might want to try googling it.

..... :eek:

[sport]

The latest research says that aspartame can cause seizures so that is probably why pilots are not allowed use it. I would not want to fly with them.

[tames]

I was also a diet soda-aholic. If I can come off it you can too! I drank diet cola with caffeine. So not only the asparatame addiction, but the caffeine too. If you can get through the first three days, you are pretty much home-free. I did not experience any headaches like many people do, but I wanted it, boy I wanted it. Since I was also starting my 100% raw, I was eating different foods so that helped a little. I hope you can kick it. We are all behind you!

--Tim

[SedonaSun]

Yes, the first 3 days was hardest for me, too. I was drinking easily 5 or 6 a day if not more. I had some headaches the first 3 days. After that for a month or so I really wanted the cold bubbly of the soda, not so much the taste. So, be armed with alternatives -- fruit juice, water with lemon, whatever you find that helps. Now soda tastes nasty and not even the cold bubbly is appealing, so you CAN get through it. My heart rate went from the high 90's to 68-72 with no added exercise...so there's some extra motivation for you... less work for your heart to do!

[Kristyn]

[QUOTE=Revvell]Yanno? Y'all can google as easily as I can. (puts smiley face so no one offends themselves) :)

Sure "we" can do an easy google search which I have but it is always nice to hear real people and their answers.

I thought this forum was to chat/communicate and share?


Kristyn

[Revvell]

It is yet, if you wish to ask about things such as aspartame and splenda, which isn't raw, I suggest googling. This is a "raw vegan" support group. Now, if you were asking what folk did to get OFF their addictions to these things, that would certainly be another matter yet, that was not your question. IF one truly wants to know if something such as diet sodas or splenda is bad for them, then google.

IF you "kick" the soda habit, almost ANY relatively good food program would be enhanced.

btw ~ there's LOTS of info here on going from what one might call ~ 95-99% raw ~ and going 100%.

I'm guessing here ~ you already knew the answer to your question before asking, correct? (putting smiley face here because I'm smiling as I ask it.) :)


:cool:

[Autumn]

I thought this was already settled. :rolleyes:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4648

[PixieGreen]

Alissa requested that people don't post on threads they don't want to pursue rather then refer people to google. Trying to kick cooked food [and beverages come under that heading] is altogether relevant to this forum.

Christa

[Revvell]

Guess I'm cranky tonight. My apologies. Y'all have a good evening.

:cool:

[RawTruth]

Will the benefits of raw food increase if I can kick the diet soda??In answer to your question: definitely! Sodas aren't raw (well, duh :rolleyes: giggle), have nothing natural in them, and are highly processed. You will reap the full benefits of 100% raw only when you actually are 100% raw. So, that's why I say definitely yes.

I know that, for some people, this can be a difficult habit to kick. Some others can just stop cold turkey. I don't know you, so, of course, I don't know the best way for you to do this. But, I hope you do give it a try; you seem to sincerely want to be raw and healthy and are making such great strides. Kudos to you for that, by the way.

I wish you the best of luck.

[autumn4596]

hm...I dont know why people have a hard time kicking the soda habit. I stopped in one day, about a year ago, give or take a couple months...

I guess my suggestion would be to avoid situations where you would have to drink one. For example....if you work in an office and you get dehydrated while sitting at your desk and there is soda in the staff room.....next time take some orange juice with you, or take a fruit (it re-hydrates me...). Take bottled water...but if soda is sweet, then I would take something sweet as well....that way you are getting what your body wants, while still detoxing and coming out of that habit...getting rid of your craving.

If you go to a restaurant....ask for lemon for your water....
If you go to a party or a friend's house...take your own drink...(oj, water, etc...)
where do you usually get the chance to drink soda? At home? work? friends? dinner?

[PixieGreen]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I used to have a major diet coke addiction. I kicked it the day I went raw along with several cups of espresso per day and a pathetic SAD diet. Not that I'm necessarily recommending cold turkey, my health depended on it. Also, I held onto my last major addiction [cigs] so it was easier to give up everything else in one day. I read that caffeine over time creates a fatty liver [was it in flood your body with oxygen? sorry, honestly don't remember]. Since I had gallstones I tend to believe it.

The reasons for developing my addiction: it was a cold "treat" when I was very poor living in a hot climate; our tap water was literally undrinkable and I didn't have a car to get to the grocery store but there was a soda machine next door; I was already addicted to caffeine since I drank so much espresso; it was another beverage to substitute for alcohol which I gave up some years ago. Usually the reasons we pick up addictions in the first place are fairly benign but then we assign emotional dependencies and rationalizations for them and all is lost until we kick it.

The original poster wanted to know if the benefits of eating raw would increase if she [he?] quit drinking diet soda. Well, in my experience the answer is Yes! In addition to doing my poor overburdened liver and gallbladder a favor, I no longer feel the need to spend my hard earned rent money supporting a large corporation that recruits our children to be new addicts. It feels empowering to know that I don't need to stop by the machine or 7-11 2-5 times a day in an endless cycle of desire-consumption-desire. And I don't have to put up with the good natured ribbing by the local 7-11 employees about stopping by so much. I sleep more soundly, my heart doesn't race, my skin is clearer, my teeth are whiter, and my breath is sweeter.

Christa

[Rawmommie]

I used to be addicted to it and I think it caused most of my fibromialgia and cronic fatigue. Almost all of my syptoms went away when I stopped drinking it. I truely believe that it's poison. I would take measures to get it out of your diet, quickly! Just to reassure you, I used to drink up to a 12 pack a day and I could not imagine what I would drink if I didn't drink my soda (Uh, water! DUH) but I don't miss it at all, and I had it once and it tasted disgusting. I couldn't even believe I used to think it tasted good.

[flutterfly]

. If you have to have soda then drink the regular but better still why not drink carbonated water. It is good for your calcium intake and pellegrino is best. Try and change that habit please.

I have always been under the understanding that anything with carbonation sucks the calcium out of your bones.:(

[sport]

It is a while since I read the report about carbonated wated increasing your ability to absorb calcium so I can not tell you where I found it and therefore can not stand over it but I do read a lot of these sort of things and that was definatly one of them. I will try and find it again because I would hate to missguide anyone

[VeggieMel]

I had a terrible diet coke addiction. I used to drink it for breakfast. I craved it. I could have lived on it, or died on it, as the case may be. After going raw, I kicked my diet coke habit in less than a year. I used to think I'd have absolutely no energy without it, but, of course, that was incorrect. I have far more energy now than I did then.
I think diet coke contributed to the osteoporosis I've been diagnosed with, and I'm in my early 40s. Now I take better care of myself. Eating nutritious raw food, laying in mild sunshine and exercising to reverse the damage that's been done.

[Sweet lips]

Just an interesting post:

http://www.saveharry.com/liquidcandy.html

http://www.laleva.cc/food/aspartame_danger.html

http://www.mercola.com/2003/nov/8/splenda_dangers.htm

[Smileen]

I'm close to being free of diet cola. One thing that I now do is almost robotically order water when people order their beverages at a restaurant. It is getting to be ingrained. I just have a little way to go before I am completely free of the stuff. I deeply loved my diet cola, but it is time to say good-bye to the "chemical cocktail".

[sport]

flutterfly. I have googled looking for that item that I read on carbonated water and every thing that I found contridicts what I said. I can only suppose that it was propaganda. I always considered Coke and pepsico to be enemies of mankind so when someone fed me a line that I wanted to hear I took the bait. I have been buying pelegrano for my husband for at least 6 months now but I guess that I will have to wean him off it. From now on I will seek 2 opinions before I make a judgment. Sorry all.

[sport]

widesmiles.org
MINERAL WATER
What It's Got: 50 milligrams total calcium (19 milligrams of which is absorbable) per glass of San Pellegrino.

Advantages: The calcium in mineral water is as easily absorbed as that from milk; according to a recent British study, drinking mineral water with a meal enhances calcium absorption by nearly 25 percent.

Disadvantages: The calcium content differs depending on the spring from which the water originates.

Ok I just found this one
I dont know who to beleive anymore

[Revvell]

Good to know. My husband also has a Pellegrino habit. http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA157077/

I'm not sure if I read this right yet, I believe he's saying that the reason for bone loss is the lowered drinking of milk as a beverage. Be aware the study WAS done by the dairy industry...as he points out.

:cool:

[flutterfly]

From now on I will seek 2 opinions before I make a judgment. Sorry all.
Hi Sport, there is no need to be sorry. It has made others learn and that is always a good thing. It sure isn't lke I have never made a mistake lol. I have believed a lot of things I shouldn't have. ;)

[Jackie1995]

Oh, nutrasweet, that stuff is truly EVIL!

A few years back, I was overweight (still am) but trying everything to lose weight without making any real changes in my lifestyle, therefore condemning myself to failure. In the process, I ate nutrasweet in jello, diet soda, most yogurts, any lo-cal processed products, my goodness, this stuff was in EVERYTHING!

Then I started having short term memory problems. The episodes got so bad, it was like having a chalk board in a classroom full of math equations, and taking an eraser and just randomly wiping across the board. That's how swiss-cheesed my memory was, and I was running a CPA office during tax season! Yipes!

I had no clue, until one day someone in the office mentioned they got migranes from nutrasweet in any products, and I started doing some research. Well, short term memory loss was one of the biggies as a side effect of nutrasweet intake.

Needless to say, it took close to 6 months after halting intake to a super minimum (because there were things I probably ate that I didn't know had nutrasweet in them) before my memory improved.

Now, diet soda, that's a tough one. However, when I started raw in May, I just started 100% raw. In fact, I started with a juice fast. So, I couldn't pour my soda into the juicer, right? *big smile*

Because I immediately and totally committed to this lifestyle change, I honestly didn't realize that my desire for nutrasweet had disappeared, until I read this thread. At restaurants when we're travelling, I automatically ask for water, little ice and lemon or lime. It never occurs to me to ask for soda, because it's not raw.

I know that sounds a bit simplistic, but that's how it worked for me. Obviously, the fun I'm having with the lifestyle has helped me in more ways than I even am consciously aware of...like the soda thing. I also don't crave chocolate anymore, and food is sort of becoming a "fuel for the body" thing, rather than a gustatory experience. Not to say that I'm not enjoying my food, but it's not like I'm looking at my watch during the day and counting off the minutes before "lunch" so I can eat something.

In fact, I don't get the "hunger thing" like I used to, either. Or as often. Hmmmm.....

Did I get off track here? Eeep! Sorry.

Oh, heck, do what you can, and the fun will follow, I guess is my message!

Jackie

[brookegoeden]

Everyone:

Thank you for the wonderful replies! I am really motivated to kick this nasty habit. If fact, I have been diet-soda free for 3 days now, which is huge for me. I have much more energy and haven't felt the ups and downs during the day. Also, I feel better about the raw food challenge now that I am getting the diet soda out of the way. I've decided that tomorrow, August 1st, is the day to start and really get on board.

Looking forward to a wonderful journey,

Peace

[PixieGreen]

Brooke, that's fantastic, way to go! Three days will get the major gunk out of your system, so you've crossed the biggest hurdle! After three weeks resistance becomes much easier, and after 3 months habits are ingrained so it's easy to resist former temptations.

No need to look forward to a wonderful journey, you're on it!

Christa

[rawgrrl]

I was thinking for the carbonation thing, you could substitute Champagne Rejuvelac and for the sugar kick, sesame seed milk, but maybe something else is needed. So, what have you tried already to kick this?

[Autumn]

For those trying to kick the soda habit, you may want to try VeganVixen's creation:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3976&highlight=soda

[Punky]

widesmiles.org
MINERAL WATER
What It's Got: 50 milligrams total calcium (19 milligrams of which is absorbable) per glass of San Pellegrino.

Advantages: The calcium in mineral water is as easily absorbed as that from milk; according to a recent British study, drinking mineral water with a meal enhances calcium absorption by nearly 25 percent.

Disadvantages: The calcium content differs depending on the spring from which the water originates.

Ok I just found this one
I dont know who to beleive anymore

Thanks Sport for bringing up the topic of mineral water.
I too drink mineral water on occassion since I don't drink soda's anymore
for years now. I don't miss the sweetness of soda as much as the bubbly.
I wasn't sure if the carbonation was bad for you or not either...I assumed it was, but a lesser evil than soda...
I do let my kids have mineral water mixed with fruit juice on holidays
since I don't let them have soda either....
Thanks for the links so I can read up!

[Punky]

For those trying to kick the soda habit, you may want to try VeganVixen's creation:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3976&highlight=soda


that sounds yummy and refreshing.

[Punky]

Everyone:

Thank you for the wonderful replies! I am really motivated to kick this nasty habit. If fact, I have been diet-soda free for 3 days now, which is huge for me. I have much more energy and haven't felt the ups and downs during the day. Also, I feel better about the raw food challenge now that I am getting the diet soda out of the way. I've decided that tomorrow, August 1st, is the day to start and really get on board.

Looking forward to a wonderful journey,

Peace

That's awesome Brookegoeden!
It does get easier over time! I use to drink diet soda alot too.
and coffee, and more gunk!
Coffee is my hardest temptation...evil caffeine buzz...

(hugs) and congrats for facing your diet soda addiction :D

[brookegoeden]

Hi

Thank you for all the great words of wisdom!! Everyone on this board is so supportive and informative, which is helping me so much.

Update: I haven't had a single drop of soda since Friday..5 days!! I feel better every morning I am living without it.

Take care,

Brooke